BILL NUMBER: ACR 145	CHAPTERED  09/05/00

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   123
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   SEPTEMBER 5, 2000
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   AUGUST 24, 2000
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   AUGUST 10, 2000

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Cardenas

                        MARCH 9, 2000

   Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 145--Relative to Diabetes
Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 145, Cardenas.  Diabetes Awareness Month.
   This measure would designate November 2000 as Diabetes Awareness
Month.




   WHEREAS, Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce
or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar,
starches, and other food into energy needed for daily life; diabetes
is a chronic disease that has no cure; and
   WHEREAS, There are two major types of diabetes; Type I diabetes is
an autoimmune disease, in which the body does not produce any
insulin, most often occurring in children and young adults; people
with Type I diabetes must take daily insulin injections to stay
alive; and
   WHEREAS, Type II diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from
the body's inability to make enough, or properly use, insulin; it is
the most common form of the disease; Type II diabetes accounts for 90
to 95 percent of diabetes and is nearing epidemic proportions due to
an increase in the number of older Americans and lifestyle changes;
Type II diabetes usually occurs after 45 years of age; often people
with Type II diabetes have no symptoms;
   WHEREAS, Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, amputations,
and kidney failure; diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in
adults 25 to 74 years of age; diabetes is the seventh leading cause
of death in the United States; people with diabetes are twice as
likely to have a heart attack or stroke; and
   WHEREAS, Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases
affecting older people, women, and people of color; and
   WHEREAS, Latinos are almost twice as likely to have Type II
diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites; diabetes affects 1.2 million of
the Mexican American population; approximately 24 percent of Mexican
Americans, 16 percent of Cuban Americans, and 26 percent of Puerto
Ricans between 45 to 74 years of age have diabetes; and
   WHEREAS, Mexican Americans are 4.5 to 6.6 times more likely to
suffer from end stage renal disease among people with diabetes; and
   WHEREAS, African-Americans are 1.7 times as likely to have Type II
diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites; diabetes affects 2.3 million
African-Americans; of African-Americans between 65 and 74 years of
age, 25 percent have diabetes; one in four African-American women
over 55 years of age have diabetes; and
   WHEREAS, The prevalence of Type II diabetes in Native Americans is
12.2 percent versus 5.2 percent of the general population; in some
tribes, 50 percent of the population has diabetes; and
   WHEREAS, There is a higher incidence of Type I diabetes in Whites
than any other racial group; and
   WHEREAS, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders are at an increased
risk of contracting diabetes; within the Asian-American and Pacific
Islander population, some groups are twice as likely to have diabetes
than non-Hispanic Whites; and
   WHEREAS, Nationwide, there are 15.7 million people who have
diabetes; each day approximately 2,200 people are diagnosed with
diabetes; and
   WHEREAS, Unfortunately, while an estimated 10.3 million have been
diagnosed, 5.4 million people are not aware that they have the
disease; for every two people with diagnosed diabetes, there is
another person who has diabetes but does not know it; approximately
7.5 million of all men, and 8.1 million of all women in the United
States have diabetes, however, more than one-third of these do not
know it; and
   WHEREAS, Diabetes is a leading health problem in California with
an estimated two million residents having the disease; California has
one of the highest rates of diabetes in the nation; each year
diabetes and diabetes related illnesses, such as amputations, loss of
eyesight, and even death affect the lives of millions of
Californians; and
   WHEREAS, The State Department of Health Services has found that
without significant improvements in the prevention, detection, and
control of diabetes, the number of people with diabetes and the costs
associated with it will grow at an unprecedented rate; and
   WHEREAS, The keys to reducing the incidence of and complications
associated with diabetes are education, early detection, and proper
treatment; the earlier a person is diagnosed with diabetes and
receives treatment, the better the person's chances are for avoiding
diabetes complications; and
   WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of all women, men, and
families to join together to promote greater awareness, the need for
early detection, and education about a disease that affects all
Californians; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California,
in order to heighten public awareness about diabetes, declares
November 2000 as Diabetes Awareness Month and further emphasizes that
the public education efforts conducted during November 2000 should
be part of an ongoing, year-round effort to raise public awareness
throughout the state.
